John jay green



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

J. J. GREEN. CONTACT SHOE FOR ELECTRIC LOGOMOTIVES.. No. 522,709.

Patented July 10, 1894. F691.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.`

J. J. GREEN. CONTACT SHOE FOR ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVES.

Patented July 10 ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES 1 PATENT i OFFICE.

JOHN JAY GREEN, OF BOONTON, NEW J ERSEY, ASSIGN OR TO THE UNIVERSAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CONTACT-SHOE FORELg-:CTRIC LocoMoTwEs.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent Nlo.i52r2,70, dated July 10, 18951'.`

` Application le July 5, 1893- Serial No. 479,576. `(No model.)

To all whom tm/ay concern.- i

Beit known that I, Jenn JAY GREEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boonton, in the county of Morris and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Railways,`of which the followingis a specification.

My invention relates to that class of electric railways in which a contact shoe or current collector carried rby the motor car runs in a conduit between the tracks and eects the completion of the circuit through the'motor on the car byfacting upon contact devices arranged within the conduit.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved contact shoe or current collector that shall be freely flexible throughout its length to allow it to readily conforml to ,the curvatures of the conduit, be firmly guided and controlled by the slot of the cond uit, and which, at the same time, shall be simple, strong and durable. A,

My improved contact shoe comprises a iexible or yielding. central bar, iiexible metallic side strips and end pieces of insulating material loosely attached to the central bar andthe side strips.

The invention also embodies novel features ofconstruction, whereby the shoe` is'left in the conduit without injury thereto should the car, from any cause, become derailed. All of which will be fully hereinafter described by reference had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l represents a motor car with myimproved shoeapplied thereto, also part of an electric conduit. Fig. 2 is a diagram plan,

i showing the shoe, the electric conductors and contact boxes. Fig. 81is a part side elevation of the shoes. Fig. 4 is a plan of the shoe. Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of one end of the shoe. f Fig. 6` is an enlarged transverse section on the line :c Fig. 4.. Fig. 7

is an enlarged, transverse section on the line y-fy of FigA, and Fig.`8is` a plan view of a modification.

The main brace or central bar a of the shoe is made of wood or other suitable `material of an insulating character, and is sheathed on its ends with plates of metal c ca At its extreme ends and central part it is provided Pieces of insulating material c c, as hard vulcanized rubber, provided with friction plates c' c are attached to the bar a at each end and side thereof against the metal plates a a', bolts and nuts c2 c2 being used forA this purpose, which tit snugly in holes in the bar a and pass through slots formed in the insulating pieces c c and the friction plates o c. The heads and nuts of these bolts are arranged so as `not to project beyond the surface of the pieces c c.

To the two insulating pieces c wc on each side of the bar o, are secured by screws the two strips of metal ol and d', the interior ones d d being so fastened independently of the outside strips df d', as to be permanently held in place, and the outside strips are secured by other screws, so as to be readily removed and replaced by new strips when worn out.

"At the center at each side of the bar ais placed a block of insulating material c e, sei cured, if desired, to the bar a by the screws shown by dotted lines in Fig. 6, and to these blocks e c the inside strips of metal are fastened by the middle screws oo, and the outside contact strips d d by the other screws fc', as shown at Fig. 6, pieces of metal c c being placed or embedded in the blocks c e to act as nuts for all of these screws. Between the end insulating pieces c c and the blocks e e are placed the insulating bearing pieces or blocks e2 e2 secured to the central iiexible bar a by screws, as shown at Fig. 5. V

The bar a may be made in two pieces and fastened together in any suitable way at the center, where they are secured to the block e3 as shown in Fig. 2. The stud for the central guide roller fc3 may be secured in any suitable way to the block.

Secured to the central bar a near its ends are the carrying arms or bars f f which extend upwardly through the slot of the conduit, and to the upper ends of these arms or bars are fastened the bearing plates f f IOO ` material f f3.

having secured to them the contact springs f2 f2 with interposing rblocks of insulating Each of the springs f2 f2 is connected to one of the contact strips d d of the shoe as shown by dotted lines.

The car gcarryingthe motor g is provided with bracket bearing plates h h upony which tion is such that when the car, from any cause,

moves abnormally in relation to the track or becomes derailed, the connection between the car and shoe becomes broken, without injury to the shoe, leaving it in the conduit.

The manner in which the shoe operates is clearly shown at Fig. 2, in which z' represents the electric generatorl 'i2 the lines therefrom, and j j the contact boxes, which may be of any suitable construction, so spaced and arranged in the conduit that the contact plates or strips d d before they leave or get clear of a contact box j, make contact with the succeeding one.

In the modification shown at Fig. 8, the flexible central wooden baris substituted by a metal bar lo, composed of sections which may be pivotally connected or joined at their adjacent ends; the pieces of insulating material c c, to which are secured the contact strips CZ d', being attached thereto, so as to slide thereon, when passing curves as before described. Y

The sliding connection between the central bar and the flexing side contact plates permits the shoe to readily conform to the curves of a conduit, and this action is facilitated and improved by securing the plates to the middle block e. l

I claim as my inventionw 1. A contact shoe for electric railways consisting of separate end pieces, side strips of flexible metal secured thereto, and a iiexible or yielding central bar to which the insulated end pieces are loosely attached.

2. A contact shoe for an electric railway consisting of an elongated, central, yielding, flexible portion, and an elongated side contact plate carried by the central portion, and flexible laterally relatively thereto, said contact plate having a continuous or unbroken face, substantially as described.

3. A contact shoe for electric railways consisting of an elongated centrally yielding or iiexible portion and an elongated iiexible side contact plate carried thereby, the two being connected at or near the ends by loose or sliding connections, and rigidly connected at or near the middle portions of the plate, the

plate between the ends and the middle, being out of contact with the central portion of the shoe.

4. A contact shoe for an electric railway, consisting of a central yielding or iiexible bar, insulated end pieces connected therewith by slidingjoints, iiexible `side contact plates connected with the end pieces, a central block of insulating material to which both the central bar and side contact plates are secured,

and ablock of insulating material secured to the central bar between each end and the central block.

5. The combination of anelectric motor car, a contact' shoe having a centralbar or body portion and flexible side strips, an electric conduit below the top of which the shoe is ar ranged, studs or bars connected to the body portion of the shoe, and rollers carried by the studs and adapted to move in the slot of the conduit.

6. The combination of an electric motor car, bracketed bearing plates carried thereby, the contact shoe provided with upwardly extending bars, and bearing plates, and contact springs carried by these bars.

7. The combination of an electric motor car, bearing or shoe supporting plates carried thereby, and a contact shoe provided with upwardly extending suspending bars and bearing plates, substantially as and for the v purpose set forth.

8. In a shoe for electric railways, the combination of the flexible central bar, pieces of insulating material attached to its sides at its ends free to slide thereon, and contact strips secured at their ends to the pieces of insulating material. i y

9. In a shoe for electric railways, the combination of the iiexible central bar, pieces of insulating material attached to its sides at its ends free to slide thereon, contact strips secured at their ends to the pieces of insulating material, and intermediate blocks of in sulating material between the central bar and the contact strips'. l i

10. The combination of an electric motor car, an electric conduit, a contact shoe carried by the car, and consisting of a central body portion and flexible side contact strips, hangers secured to the car, supports detachably connected with the hangers and secured to the central body portion of the shoe, studs or. bars mounted on the body portion of the shoe, and rollers carried by these studs and adapted to move in the slot of the conduit.

ll. The combination of a car and an electric motor carried thereby, insulated plates or springs, connected to the terminals of the motor, bearing plates attached to the bottom of the car, a conduit, a contact shoe having arms projecting upwardly through the slot of the conduit, bearing plates at the upper ends of the arms, and insulated springs on these bearing plates, two contact strips secured to the shoe, said strips being electrically connected to the insulated springs.

IOO

IIO

tric conduit, a contact shoe in the conduit, sliding connections between the shoe and the car, whereby theshoe is supported on the car, and contacts connected with the shoe and having a .sliding connection with con tacts carried by the car.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name. Y

JOHN .TAY GREEN.

Witnesses:

FRANK S. OBER, y y `EDWARD C. DAVIDSON. 

